Diego Céspedes (director)
Chilean filmmaker (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Diego Céspedes (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈdjeɡo ˈsespedes]; born 1995)[1] is a Chilean film director and screenwriter.
- Director
- screenwriter
- cinematographer
Diego Céspedes | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995 (age 30–31) Santiago, Chile |
| Education | University of Chile |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2016–present |
Early life
Céspedes was born in Santiago and grew up in a working class family from Peñalolén. His father is a school bus driver and his mother is a homemaker.[1][2] He received a scholarship to study film and television at the University of Chile, from which he graduated in 2018.[3] While a student, he met director Alicia Scherson and worked as her assistant for three years.[2]
Career
Céspedes's directorial debut, a short titled The Summer of the Electric Lion, won the Cinéfondation prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.[4] He went on to write and direct a second short film titled The Melting Creatures, which premiered in the Critics' Week section of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.[5][6]
His debut feature film, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, won the Un Certain Regard competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.[7][8] The film was later selected as the Chilean entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards,[9][10] and received a nomination for Best Ibero-American Film at the 40th Goya Awards.[11]
In May 2026, he was announced as a jury member for the main competition of the 79th Cannes Film Festival.[12][13]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Cinematographer | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Non Castus | No | No | Yes | Short film | [14] |
| 2018 | The Summer of the Electric Lion | Yes | Yes | No | Short film | [5] |
| 2022 | The Melting Creatures | Yes | Yes | No | Short film | |
| 2025 | The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo | Yes | Yes | No | [15] |
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brussels International Film Festival | 2025 | Grand Prix | The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo | Won | [16] |
| FIPRESCI Prize | Won | ||||
| Cinéfondation | 2018 | First Jury Prize | The Summer of the Electric Lion | Won | [17] |
| Cannes Film Festival | 2025 | Prix Un Certain Regard | The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo | Won | [18] |
| Caméra d'Or | Nominated | ||||
| Queer Palm | Nominated | ||||
| Lima Film Festival | 2025 | Special Mention | Won | [19] | |
| Best First Feature Film | Won | ||||
| QCinema International Film Festival | 2025 | Best LGBT Film | Won | [20] | |
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | 2025 | Latin Horizons Best Film | Nominated | [21] | |
| DAMA Youth Award | Won | ||||
| Sundance Film Festival | 2019 | Short Film Grand Jury Prize | The Summer of the Electric Lion | Nominated | [22] |
| Toronto International Film Festival | 2022 | IMDbPro Short Cuts Award | The Melting Creatures | Nominated | [23] |
